all rise

[self_composed]

No plea bargain is struck. The jury is picked, and Lucinda asks a few random ones whether they have accepted bribes and sees who looks nervous: no one, as it turns out, so she strikes people who are too young to have children and one fellow who looks like he hates the entire world for her picks. Paul strikes a grandmotherly type and someone who admits when asked that they don't think much of rich people.

"All rise," comes the command as Judge Roberts walks in.

Comments

[edgeofyourseat]

"I answered the question as the question deserved to be answered."

[self_composed]

"Mr. Hammond, the law has already taken an interest, or you would not be sitting here," Judge Roberts says. "Have you or have you not hit your son?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"I dare say that boy's never met someone who didn't want to hit him," Mr. Hammond growls.

[self_composed]

"Well, we could call up his mother, and his friend Bella, and so on, but I've met him and I don't want to hit him," Lucinda says. "But please just answer the question, Mr. Hammond, or we'll be here all day."

[edgeofyourseat]

[Think it'd be worth making a smart remark just to see if he loses his shit and goes for me in front of the whole courtroom?] wonders Alice.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hammond is looking increasingly likely to do something along those lines.

"This whole trial's been a waste of my time; I might as well waste some of yours," he says, at perhaps an unnecessary volume. "But if you must know, yes, I have hit my lying, thieving, whoring, insolent weasel of a son. I took no joy in it. Any decent father would do the same."

[self_composed]

[Hold it down to like two words, barely loud enough for him to hear, if you wanna do that,] Bella advises. [You don't want to be found in contempt of court.]

"Whoring?" blinks Lucinda, caught off guard.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Oh yes!" spits Mr. Hammond. "He was selling himself on the streets of New York!"

Alice decides he doesn't even need to say anything. He just catches his father's eye and slouches in his chair, tipping it back on its rear legs for a moment.

Mr. Hammond rockets to his feet and slams his hands down on the surface in front of him.

[self_composed]

"Mr. Hammond! Calm down at once!" exclaims Judge Roberts.

Paul, surprisingly on the ball, says, "My client regrets any potentially slanderous allegations made in the heat of the moment..."

[edgeofyourseat]

With his father still glaring venomously at him, Alice tosses a quick glance at someone who isn't looking and touches his tongue to his lips for a moment, tilting his head down and lifting his eyebrows slightly. It's hardly an overt or remarkable gesture, but it has the desired effect, which is to send his father into a frothing, spitting, incoherent rage and prevent him from coming to his senses and sitting down again.

[self_composed]

A bailiff seizes Mr. Hammond before he can go anywhere.

"No further questions," Lucinda says, looking with a vaguely pitying expression at Mr. Hammond.

And that's it.

Off the jury goes.

[Nicely done,] Bella remarks to Alice.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Thank yooou,] he singsongs, looking mildly shaken for the benefit of any backward-glancing jurors.

[self_composed]

The judge allows that everyone else may enjoy a recess - for fifteen minutes. He obviously doesn't expect it to take very long.

[I think we're pretty safe,] Bella opines. [He did not play that well, even accounting for his poor lawyer.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Yup.]

Nevertheless: does a recess mean Bella can hug him? Because he would kind of like Bella to hug him.

[self_composed]

Bella's not sure, so she doesn't risk asking, just gets up and hobbles in his direction and flings her arms around his neck.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Thanks," he murmurs aloud, leaning into her arms and closing his eyes. He doesn't need to say that he loves her. She's reading him; she knows.

[self_composed]

Bella winds up hugging him for pretty much the entire recess, then limps back to her seat when it ends. The jury has already reached a verdict, apparently. [What do you want to bet they spent one minute going around the room announcing that yep, dude's guilty, and spent the rest of their deliberation exchanging phone numbers with any fellow jurors they find cute and talking about the weather?]

[edgeofyourseat]

[No bet,] he says cheerfully. [Alternately: bet you a hex.]

[self_composed]

[Pft.]

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have, your honor. We find the defendant guilty on all counts."

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice lets out a breath, visibly relieved.

There is still, however, the matter of the sentence.

[self_composed]

The judge terminates all of Mr. Hammond's remaining parental rights, and gives him fifteen years in prison. Also, he awards three million dollars in damages to Alice.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Well, that's nice,] he says to Bella, idly wondering if she would like him to pay her way through college.

[self_composed]

[That would be very kind of you, and under the circumstances not particularly suspicious,] Bella replies happily.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Awesome. Done deal.]

[self_composed]

[Well, unless I get full-ride scholarships, but barring that.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Yeah.]

So, does everybody clear out now? Because for once Alice has a very solid picture of his desired immediate future: he would like to be in Bella's room, sitting on the floor beside her bed, being petted.